The Reunion
by Kenneth Hand
Summary: Ryu meets up with Ken three years after leaving him after they defeat Bison in Street Fighter II. Then he goes insane.
1. Chapter 1

The Reunion

THE chill of the Russian winter made Ryu shiver as he walked to the restaurant. He wondered whether Ken was going to show up. It had, after all, been three years since they had parted ways after defeating Bison; and while he desperately wanted to see his best friend, he wasn't entirely sure that Ken wanted to see him. Ryu had so many unanswered questions that he wanted, needed to put to Ken. So much depended on it.

The waiter told him that Ken had not arrived, so he took a table himself and ordered wine. Over the past three years Ryu had seen more of the world – he had returned to India and stayed for over a year, and then travelled extensively throughout Asia and Europe, finally settling in Russia. He had befriended a Russian philosopher by the name of Tursunov who challenged everything he held to be true, and when Ryu had been coming to terms with all his beliefs and values, he had realized that friendship and love were among them. He had severely underestimated the power of being with the people most important to him.

As he waited in anticipation, a scattering of memories from the past three years suddenly surfaced, and he knew he had to face them before he could face Ken. He took a long drink of wine.

Two years earlier, Ryu was still on his street fighting rampage, battling his way through India back to Dhalsim. Eventually Ryu found the Master and asked him what he should do with his life.

"Ryu, life is toil, life is pleasure. Life is the energy within us. I can't tell you what your energy was created to do, or what toil you will endure, or what pleasure you will enjoy," the Master had told him. Ryu had known somewhere deep down, for some time – in fact, ever since he had beaten Bison – that that was what the Master would tell him. It was still, in some way, reassuring, and it had made the journey to India more than worthwhile.

"I feel that I want a life to lie ahead, but that most of it lies behind me," he'd said, almost querulously, and Dhalsim had frowned solemnly.

"You must accept that your life as a street fighter will not always be the life you will have, and it should not be, and that is the best way. You have already accomplished some of the greatest feats as a street fighter anyone could imagine. Be proud, Ryu."

Eventually, after months of staying in Dhalsim's village, Ryu finally figured out that since his life was not in India, he ought to continue his journey. So he left.

A year later, after street fighting his way through India, Nepal and China, Ryu finally found his way back home to his island in Japan. As fate had it, not much was left of his past; his former friend Rinko and her grandfather were nowhere to be found. After some serious searching, Ryu found out from a newspaper dated years before that both had perished in an earthquake. Their house on the little island had been destroyed as well.

Accepting that his life in Japan was officially over, and unable to bear the fact that he could not stay in Japan – at least, not with his cherished family – Ryu left. He decided to go to Europe, where he had only been once, when he had nearly seen the death of himself and his former friends in Spain. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing left for him in Asia, and he would probably never return.

And so Ryu had found his way to Moscow, where he apparently had a huge following. At least once a day a passer-by in the street recognized him. It was unnerving enough to remind him of the greatness of his accomplishment in bringing down Shadowlaw, but also the gravity of his situation; being in a huge city with no friends was like living on a desert island in the middle of the ocean, with no source of fresh water. Finally he started seeking out psychologists to explain the hole he felt, that was tearing him apart. Each had his own theory but they all more or less told him that the defeat of Shadowlaw was probably going to be his greatest accomplishment as a street fighter, and because he understood that but didn't want to accept it, he withdrew from society almost entirely. After all, how could one deal with people when one didn't even know how to deal with his own situation? It was astounding. And at last he met Tursunov.

Tursunov was an aging Russian philosopher who had spent his life writing about human emotion and its place in philosophy. Bedridden and extremely contrary, at first Tursunov had made Ryu feel stupid and sorry for himself – until he finally made Ryu accept the fact that he might have accomplishments to come which could be even greater than his accomplishments as a street fighter. And eventually Ryu realized that he needed his friends and loved ones; in particular, he needed Ken. He needed Ken before he could face anyone. Ken understood what they had gone through with Shadowlaw, and while Chun Li was away at a private school in England, Ryu had received word just days after his epiphany that Ken was travelling to Russia. Ryu took this as far more than a coincidence.

The flowing red curtains in the restaurant reminded Ryu of his trip to see Ken just before their adventures abroad. Ken lived in the luxurious Masters palace in California. He remembered Ken's parents, Guile, Chun Li, Chun Li's father, everyone from the old days. But the faces were already beginning to fade. Even now that he understood that his life was going to change, it was hardly bearable to drum up those memories. His stomach knotted when he recalled his childhood with Ken.

Thirty minutes had passed; Ken was late. Ryu had called Ken's hotel and left a message for Ken to meet him here, but Ken hadn't responded. Ryu was hoping he would come anyway. He could have simply shown up at Ken's hotel, but he was above imposing in such a way, and in any case, he hadn't really expected a response. Somehow, a response seemed inappropriate, unnecessary, even though for anyone else in the same position, one would have been correct.

Ryu's anxiety grew and he had to suppress a desire to order an enormous meal right away. His body was still hugely muscled and the cravings he had always experienced had not left him behind. At a table in front of him, a man, woman and little girl were chatting in Russian. He wanted badly to be able to understand them; mostly, he wanted to understand the little girl.

Someone put Ryu in a headlock all of a sudden, and as he half-stood up, startled, he knocked the table, nearly upsetting the bottle and glass of wine. Swiftly he removed himself and sat heavily back down and looked up.

Ken's face was above him. An overwhelmingly warm, but nervous, wave washed over Ryu. "Hey bud!" Ken greeted cheerfully, grinning, and he dropped into the chair across the table.

Ryu felt an urge to give Ken a playful punch across the table; three years earlier that would have been the automatic greeting, the thing to do, but he was unsure of whether that was the thing to do anymore. They were three years older, and Ryu felt ten more. He wished more so to hug Ken, but quickly dismissed the idea. Ryu needed to figure out whether Ken was still the same person after these three years – God, he'd missed Ken so desperately, Ken's casual air, his perfect address, his beautiful clothes. Ken was now wearing a slick black Christian Dior suit that Ryu adored; obviously his care for appearance had not changed. He hoped that Ken had not really changed.

"Man!" Ryu said positively, correctly, he thought. "Long time. Where have you been?"

"Since I last saw ya..." Ken trailed off as the waiter came over to take their orders. Ryu had lost his appetite, but ordered a steak for the sake of having something in front of him. While Ryu had to stammer out a ten-cent Russian expression he had memorized from a phrase book, Ken ordered fluently. His perfect address was apparently unchanged as well.

"Since I last saw you," Ken started again, "I've been back at the house. In the States. Chun Li also went home and then went out to England for school."

"I heard," Ryu said, quickly realizing that Ken already knew he had heard. Even though three years had gone by, Ryu still knew Ken well enough to know Ken knew him well enough. Ken smiled.

"Yep. A different atmosphere. She wanted to get away from Hong Kong for a while."

Ryu had nothing to say, so he poured more wine. The questions he had to ask were just not coming. He took a long gulp, pretending to be thirsty, but thought this just made him look like he badly needed a drink.

Ken sat forward in his chair, his hands clasped together on the table. The portrait of ease. Ryu's legs were crossed and he was sitting comfortably back, but on the inside he was feeling anything but comfortable. At once he both wanted to leave – alone – and to stay to talk to Ken. He sat still.

"Ryu... After we finished Shadowlaw, I haven't been the same. I've missed our times together. I..." Ken trailed off with a strange smile. Ryu noticed that what Ken was saying wasn't at all matching his easy appearance. Ryu felt that he himself was coming off as being too easy, and then he knew it. Ryu knew exactly where Ken was going. He took a deep breath, and Ken raised an eyebrow.

"To tell you the truth, man, I haven't been the same, either," Ryu responded, and he considered making up some story about having followed through with the life they had had together, as a successful street fighter, battling major crime operations, developing his skills to unbelievable levels. The story would be at least partly true. But even after three years... Ken would see right through any sort of exaggerated story told to mask feelings. He was better to tell the truth than to lie.

"I've missed the old days too, Ken," he blurted out, stupidly.

Ken nodded. The waiter came then with Ken's drink, and irritation descended over Ryu, as though it were just the wrong time for the waiter to come. Had the waiter not come the conversation would have probably become awkward, but it was going to become awkward anyway, and he'd rather get it all out than to have to keep starting over.

Before he could stay anything else, Ken said the magic words. "I didn't want to leave, you know. But I had to go home."

After a few moments of empty silence, Ryu stuck his finger toward the window. "That chocolate shop over there has the best truffles! If I don't stop devouring them I'm going to turn into a major pig."

Ken smiled and took a long drink of the scotch he'd ordered. Scotch, Ryu thought. But they were both drinking, so they were both on par, even. After all, Ken couldn't have ordered water with Ryu drinking wine. Ryu felt ashamed for having ordered wine. Somehow, though, he suspected Ken didn't at all mind drinking the scotch.

"So what brings you to Moscow?" Ryu asked casually, appropriately, it seemed to him. Relief encouraged him. "I was surprised to hear that you were here."

"Just on vacation from the family," Ken said, turning away his eyes. "You?"

Ryu shook his head and shrugged. "It's... I had nowhere else to be, and I wanted to be somewhere new. Somewhere... someplace..." he tried to find out what he was saying before Ken figured out he'd forgotten. Ken raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Someplace... new."  
They both laughed.

"What I mean is," Ryu tried again, frustrated with himself, "somewhere different where I could re-establish myself, make new friends, start a new life. I went back to Japan and found Rinko and her grandfather gone. My life there is over, and I had nowhere to go."

"Do you still have her bracelet?" Ken asked strangely.

"No, I lost it in a fight in Nepal," Ryu said. He strongly disliked the idea of getting into the past three years. The dead, meaningless three years that had brought him nothing but bad news and confusion. "I'd give anything to have it back."

Ken nodded. The family at the table behind Ken was getting up and leaving, and Ryu wanted for nothing else but to go over and ask them to stay. He couldn't get up but absolutely desired to do so, would have killed to, in any other time, in any other place, sitting with anybody else, or even by himself. He could simply have walked over and asked for the time, for anything, just to stall them for a minute or so. Ken didn't look up to see the family behind him, but Ryu hoped that he had noticed them on his way in.

The meal came just after the family went out. The steak, though perfectly prepared with vegetables and baked potato, did not interest Ryu at all. He sensed a similar indifference coming from Ken for his own meal, and Ryu knew it was a good time to start up again.

"Ken... We're friends, right?"

Ken's smiled widened. "I hope so, otherwise this is going to be one hell of a lousy meal!"

"Heh," Ryu huffed pointlessly, though desperately relieved that Ken had made a joke just then. This was it. "Ken, I don't think I can live without you. I need you to stay with me. Friends are absolutely fundamental... To life. To being." He paused to gage Ken's reaction, but just got the green light to keep going. "This philosopher guy told me that. I'm paraphrasing, but you know. And I agree. I need you."

Ken paused. A horrible, heart-breaking pause. In that pause Ryu relived everything. He couldn't help it; the whole series of memories replayed perversely in his mind. The hardest of them was the memory of fighting Evil Ryu and Evil Chun Li. The desire to get up and leave returned forcefully, but he resisted it. He knew he had to hold on to hear what Ken would say. Tursunov, the old jerk, had been absolutely right, of course. His soul was intertwined with Ken's, and so he needed him.

"I told you already I've missed ya, buddy," Ken said dismissively, and stole one of Ryu's carrots. Ryu grabbed his hand.

"I'm serious," Ryu said loudly, his expression incensed. His hand was shaking, ridiculously. Ken paused before putting the carrot on his own plate.

"So am I," said Ken, looking at him. "Listen, I think you should come back to the hotel with me. I'm staying at the Intercontinental. Alone." Ryu absorbed this. "Ryu…" He looked down and began playing with the carrot with his fork.

Ryu waited. And then Ken said it. "I need you too, bud. I really do."

Ryu had never been as happy as when Ken said it. The entire meal up to that point had felt like a car teetering on the edge of a cliff, but now he felt the car pulling back up on to firm ground, starting up, driving away. Slowly, but away. His own life had been seesawing between misery and happiness, and he felt he now had the power to drive his life forward.

After dinner, they hung out at the hotel and decided not to go out that night, but to stay in. Three years ago, they wouldn't have dreamt of staying in and talking, watching movies, ordering room service. But they were now, and Ryu couldn't have hoped for anything better.

That night, sleeping with Ken cuddled up to him, Ryu felt reborn.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryu Insane

By Kenneth Hand

May 6, 2011

The idea for this story came to me one day when I was re-reading 'The Reunion', my submission for, and first runner-up in, the Anime North fanfiction contest. When Street Fighter IV came out for Playstation 3, I saw an opportunity for renewed interest in the Street Fighter series. 'The Reunion' is the first part in what is now a two-part story about Ryu and Ken, characters from Street Fighter.

In 'The Reunion', Ryu struggled with no longer being a street fighter after defeating the evil Shadowlaw,  
and encountered Ken again, by chance, in Europe. This fanfic continues that story, but while 'The Reunion' ended happily, 'Ryu Insane' takes a twisted turn, as you can probably surmise from the title. Both stories ignore Ken's marriage in America, since he wasn't married when the Street Fighter TV series came out. As well, I appropriately stole elements from my favourite Classical tragedy, 'Heracles', by Euripides, in which Heracles goes insane.

If you are not sure, then don't take this fanfic seriously. My proofreader thought that it was very funny.  
But this may actually have happened. All I can tell you is that I haven't doomed Ryu from the beginning. Honest. - K.H.

"Often man wishes for that which will expediate his loss." - Zamakhschari

"Love is like a void. It hangs there and hangs there, and you want to fill it up, but the power of the void makes it feel like it's enough as it is. It's not." - Anonymous

"See you later, Ryu!" Ken called from the door of his mansion in California. Ryu was upstairs in his bedroom,  
where Ken had promised he would meet Ryu only an hour before. Ryu heard the front door close.

Ken had forgotten to come. Or he had chosen not to. It didn't matter.

It was two years after Ryu had met up with Ken again, and five years after their defeat of the evil M. Bison and the international crime syndicate Shadowlaw. Two years ago, Ken had been in Europe on vacation with family, and then for a martial arts tournament in the early spring. Ryu was there biding time, figuring out the meaning of his life, after having been a street fighter. When he found out that Ken was in Europe, Ryu readily invited him to dinner, and they reconnected. After the trip, Ryu moved back to California with Ken, to Ken's mansion.

And Ken's girlfriend.

Eva Latolia was an Italian model, actress, designer, and whatever else she chose to be on any given day. She and Ken had hooked up three years previously, and were head over heels in love. He was a strapping, muscled martial artist; she was a thin, tall blonde, and full of Ital-itude. They were _the_ power couple.

Ken had failed to mention Eva to Ryu on their date in Russia, which Ryu resented, since Eva spent most of her time at the mansion, and most of her time being rude to Ryu.

"You should really clean dat room, you kno-ow," she declared to Ryu one day, in her exaggerated accent. "There are empty bottles in there."

Ryu was annoyed. "Why were you in my room?" he asked. Eva shrugged.

"I just noticed. You are bit of slob in general. You should shape up. Ken doesn't carry you for you to mess up our 'ouse."

'Emphasis on the _our_,' Ryu had thought. "Our", Ryu supposed, meaning Ken and Eva's house. Eva had absolutely no regard for Ryu, and what frustrated and saddened Ryu was that Ken didn't seem to care. He refused to discuss Eva with Ryu, and was increasingly spending his free time with her.

Today Ryu was going to a local dojo, where he had become friends with a master named Ali. Ali was a tall,  
dark trainer who had welcomed Ryu to his dojo when Ryu was looking for a place to train. Ryu had told Ali about his travels with Ken, their time street fighting around the globe. Ali understood, because for years he had fought in illegal street fighting rings in Hong Kong.

"You have to tell Ken exactly how you feel," he told Ryu one day. "He is blinded for his love for this Eva, but you are his best friend. Girls never come between best friends. Never."

What confused Ryu was that he didn't understand how he was Ken's best friend. He had always considered Ken to be his buddy, and much more, but to call him a "best friend" seemed somehow juvenile. His return with Ken to America had somehow seemed like a dream. Now he was living with Ken, in Ken's house, with Ken's bodyguards, with Ken's pushy and often rude friends, and, above all, with Eva. He was leary in telling Ken how he felt, because he didn't want to seem ungrateful.

Luckily, the inglorious Eva had not yet made an appearance that morning, so Ryu took the opportunity to leave before she pulled up in her silver Mercedes Benz. His bedroom door had a lock, which he had never before bothered to use. Today he was sure to lock his door, and bring the key along with him.

Ryu walked to the dojo, although it was more than nine miles away, and over 100 degrees in the California sun.  
The walk was pleasant enough. He passed by an elementary school en route, and when he was walking by, the children were outside in the yard, playing. One little boy, in a red t-shirt, waved at Ryu as he walked by.

Children often brought a smile to Ryu's face. They reminded him of his own childhood. As a child, Ryu trained with Ken under the same sensei. As teenagers they then toured the world as street fighters, and together had come upon Shadowlaw. Shadowlaw was an international crime syndicate led by the notorious M. Bison, whom they finally destroyed together. That was where they parted ways for three years, before reuniting in Europe.

Ryu knew that he had lived a fortunate life in many respects. He was well-travelled, had acquired some money, had a killer body, and had some friends. However, he lacked a family, blood relatives, which Ken had always had.  
He had never envied Ken of his family. Ryu had long ago come to terms with the fact that he didn't have one.  
But he felt that had left him in some sort of void, a void that he was able to forget about when he was preoccupied with constantly having to save his own life as a street fighter.

At the dojo, Ali's partner, a Japanese man named Pan, told Ryu politely that Ali had not come in to work that day. Ryu was disappointed. He looked forward to his conversations and training sessions with Ali. He thanked Pan and decided to stay at the dojo. He could train without Ali, and loathed the idea of going back to Ken's house, where Eva would surely drop by at some point.

As he went through his technique with one of Pan's assistants, Ryu found that he could not stop thinking about Ken. This had been going on for some time. Ryu found it difficult to stop thinking about his long-time friend.  
His thoughts often turned to the many times he had saved Ken from death when they were street fighters, or when they were young, training together at the dojo. Or when Bison had turned Ryu into a computer-controlled Evil Ryu who Ken had to fight. Or when they had spent the night in bed in Europe, when they had found each other again. Having Ken on his mind sometimes made Ryu feel sad and depressed.

Ryu was also conscious of the fact that his feelings were sometimes blurred, confused, different from how they used to be. Once upon a time, Ryu would never have hurt a fly, unless there was some good reason. Those feelings always surfaced in dreams. Ryu had never really slept soundly, but now his dreams were haunted, dark. They sometimes teased at the Hadoken that would occasionally build in his stomach, and had to fight back down.  
Sometimes Ryu woke up from dreams in which he was attacking people for no reason at all. In one dream he had strangled an Asian man and left his dead body in the closet of an office building. When he awoke, Ryu found himself perplexed by the dream, but hated the man he had strangled. The man confused him. What angered Ryu further was that he could never remember the faces of the people he attacked in his dreams. Their faces were simply flat, distorted oval discs on the front of heads.

At five o'clock, Ryu left the dojo. He deliberately walked passed the school again, even though he knew it would be deserted. It was. Even on the basketball court, where kids would often play into the evening, there was no one. Wind blew threw the trees that bordered the yard, guarding it from outsiders.

Back at Ken's mansion, Ryu could hear Eva screaming at Ken. As he approached the mansion, he could hear her shrieking voice more clearly, her accent coming and going. Ryu considered leaving and coming back again later, but before he could, the front door flung open, and Eva and Ken were both standing there in the enormous foyer. Ken's bodyguards were nowhere in sight.

Eva had never looked worse. Her ordinarally shiny blonde hair was messy, her skin was flushed, and her grey eyes were flashing danger signals. Ken looked flustered and angry himself. They both looked and sounded a little drunk. Both of them ignored Ryu, but Ryu knew they both saw him in the doorway.

"Just get the hell out," Ken growled.

Eva spit on him in retaliation. "I don't need your fucking big house, or your attitude," she declared, and shoved past Ryu. On her way down the front steps, she slipped and had to grab the banister to regain her balance.

Ryu shut the door on his way in. Ken gave him a half-defeated, half-angry look, and then walked into the dining room. Ryu followed him.

Ken snatched open a small glass door on the elaborate Chinese liquor cabinet. "You know, I didn't think she would ever leave. Some women are such bitches." He yanked out a half-empty bottle of whisky and poured himself a shot,  
and downed it. Years ago, Ryu would have cringed. He was no longer so surprised.

"What happened?" Ryu asked in a low voice.

Ken shook his head. "She has a problem with lots of things. Lots. One of them is you." Ken gave Ryu a sideways glance as he took his shot. "I'm not going to lie to you."

Ryu licked his lips nervously. "A problem?"

Ken shrugged. "She thinks I cheated on her."

Clearly, Ken didn't realize that Ryu wanted to know why Eva had a problem with him. Ryu chose to play along, but didn't care if Ken had cheated on Eva or not. "Did you?"

"Yeah..." Ken said wearily. He sat down at one of the straight chairs at the dining room table. "I did. When I came back from Moscow."

Ryu held his breath. That was when he had come back from Moscow with Ken. At that point, Ryu hadn't even known that Ken had a girlfriend. "You might want to be honest with her. After all, she is your girlfriend now." Ken took another shot.

"Can't do that. You don't know Eva like I do," Ken replied. He gestured with the hand he was holding the whisky bottle with, causing some of the liquor to splash out of the bottle on to the patterned hardwood floor. Ken either didn't notice, or pretended not to. "It has to be lie and deny, buddy. Lie and deny."

Ryu was suddenly angry at Eva. Who the hell did she think she was, after all? A silly busybody, as far as Ryu was concerned. She had no right to make Ken feel guilty for anything. She was even more of a hanger-oner than Ryu. Ryu had known Ken for years longer than Eva.

"Hey, let's stay up and watch martial arts movies," Ryu suggested, lamely. "I ordered a few more from that online store you mentioned."

"With my money?" Ken demanded. He cast Ryu a dark look, which startled Ryu, who had trouble understanding it. Ryu's heart began to beat hard in his chest. He felt that years ago, when he and Ken had been closer than they seemed to be now, he would have known what that expression was. Was it anger? No. Ken wasn't angry with him. Ryu felt frustrated.

"Yes," he replied. Ken snorted and stood up. One of his enormous arms knocked an expensive vase, which shook and came dangerously close to falling.

"I'm going to bed," Ken said, heading to the dining room door with the whisky. "You can do whatever the hell you want."

Ryu remained standing in the dining room, staring after Ken. He was still trying to understand the expression on Ken's face, that ugly, unintelligible expression.

A week later, Ken announced that Chun Li would be coming to visit. She was still away in boarding school, but graduating this year, and looked forward to seeing Ken and Ryu and to visiting California for the first time.

"She said she's been training overseas, and is stronger than ever," Ken said to Ryu and Eva over breakfast.  
Ken had apologized to Ryu for his drunken rudeness the week before, and they had begun to spend more time together, though little more, Ryu thought. Eva was furious.

"'Oo is this Chong Li?" she demanded, dropping her fork into her scrambled eggs. "You never told me about her, Ken. Why not?"

Ryu raised his eyebrows. "You never told Eva about Chun Li?"

Ryu had assumed that Ken had told Eva all about his past, their friends, their epic battle against Shadowlaw. It had indeed been an epic battle. Ken and Ryu had both nearly been killed on so many occasions. Ken smiled and shook his head.

"Nope, I thought I would keep her a surprise," he said. Ryu nodded and shrugged his huge shoulders. Eva scoffed.

"Why, Ken?" she demanded. "Was she a law-fer of yours? Why is she so secret? I thought you told me everything.  
You are such big liar."

'Such big liar.' Even Ryu, whose knowledge of English was imperfect, knew that Eva's choice of words was childish and deliberately incorrect. He chose not to comment, however. His disposition toward Eva had changed to one of neutrality. There was no point in feuding with her. The more Ken saw that Eva was argumentative and obnoxious, while Ryu was calm and agreeable, the more likely he would be to eventually dump her. And that was what Ryu wanted.

Ryu hated Eva. Ever since the night he had walked in on Ken and Eva's fight, his dreams had shifted to those of killing Eva. Every night was different. One night he dreamt of shoving Eva off the terrace of Ken's bedroom, impaling her on the sharp head of the Akuma statue below. He then comforted Ken, whom he found that wasn't even crying. Another night, Ryu dreamt of drowning Eva violently in the Pacific Ocean, as Ken sunbathed on the beach nearby. Every dream was creative, interesting. Ryu enjoyed them. Ryu dismissed them as irreal dreams, however, and was able to mask his hatred for Eva in real life by ignoring or pretending to be nice to her.

"You'll see, Eva," Ken said, smiling, and winked at Ryu. What the surprise was, Ryu had no idea, but it didn't matter.

"Yes, I will," Eva vowed, and quickly finished her scrambled eggs.

Chun Li arrived the following Tuesday. Ken and Ryu went to pick her up from the airport in his limo. Chun Li was as bright and vibrant as always, and still looked like she was fourteen, but Ryu knew that she was now four years older. He hugged her when she got into the limo.

"Hi, Ryu!" she greeted him, in her high-pitched voice. "It's been so long, and I can see that you haven't changed a bit! Still as big and handsome as ever!"

Even after more than five years apart, Chun Li still knew how to make Ryu blush. He had always loved Chun Li,  
but as a brother loves a sister. He was no longer the na ve teenager he once was, thinking that just any girl belonged with any guy, and neither was Ken, he knew. They had grown up. Chun Li was deliberately flattering him because she was mature now, and understood that he didn't belong with her.

"How are you, Chun Li?" he asked. Sitting next to her now, in fact, Ryu felt more like a father to Chun Li than a brother. He was older, wiser, stronger than she was, and he could protect her. That wasn't really the case with older brothers. When one thinks of an older brother, one thinks of a gangling, stupid boy who watches out for his kid sister against schoolyard bullies. That simply wasn't the case with him and Chun Li. He knew that now, however long it had been since he had seen her, however much more education she had acquired than he ever had.

"Just fine," Chun Li chirped, as the limo pulled out of its parking spot. "I'm nearly finished my senior year at the academy, and will soon be moving here." Ryu shook his head. Chun Li laughed. "That's right, I'm coming to Stanford for university!"

"Wow," Ken said. "That's impressive. I know your father would have been proud."

Chun Li's father, an investigator with whom Ryu and Ken had worked when battling Shadowlaw, had mysteriously disappeared years before during their investigation. Ryu thought that Chun Li would never recover from his disappearance, but was pleased to find that she didn't even flinch from Ken's comment.

Chun Li bowed her head, but still smiled. "Thank you, Ken. I want to honour his memory."

"Did you bring... You know what?" Ken asked Chun Li suddenly. Chun Li nodded, and looked quickly at Ryu before lowering her head again.

"Bring what?" Ryu asked, curiously.

Ken laughed. "Never mind, buddy. Just know that soon enough there won't be any problelms. There won't..."

Ken continued to talk, but Ryu blanked, abruptly. He was aware that Ken was talking, but he was no longer able to listen to Ken's words. There was something wrong with him, he knew, but he could only sit quietly, pretending to listen. When Ken finished, with the biggest grin Ryu thought he had seen Ken wearing in months, Ryu nodded, smiling too, but only because he thought that was the right thing to do.

When he turned to Chun Li, still smiling, he noticed her watching him. She quickly turned and looked out the window. Ryu thought that he should have felt something at that moment, but he didn't. He simply looked at her turned face, still smiling, always smiling.

To Ryu's astonishment, Eva got along fabulously with Chun Li. When they arrived home, Eva was waiting. What was more, Ryu was stunned to find Eva in a terrific mood.

"Where have you bee-een?" Eva drawled, clacking out the front door of the house in her stilettos, with her black bodyguard Devontay, whom she occasionally had with her. Ryu thought her accent sounded more French today than Italian. "I 'ave been waiting all this time! I got the role." Devontay, in his black-out Gucci shades, followed her out.

"Here she is," Ken said, smilingly widely. "Chun Li. Chun Li, this is Eva, my girlfriend."

"Hi, Eva," Chun Li greeted. Eva grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously.

"'ello, Chong Li!" Eva cackled. "I 'ave heard so much about you. From Ken and from Roo."

"Hey, it's Ryu," Ryu corrected her, but Eva pretended not to hear. She had taken Chun Li's arm and was leading her up the steps to Ken's mansion. Ken was following, all smiles, all the way. Ryu followed along, feeling somehow misplaced.

"Allow me to show you the 'ouse," Eva cooed. "I know it all. The sun room, the gym, the kitchen, the bedrooms..." Eva trailed off, and threw Ryu a dirty look over her shoulder. A dirty look, Ryu supposed, that meant that she wouldn't be showing Chun Li his bedroom.

"I don't get it," Ryu whispered to Ken, and stopped him as they saw Devontay's back disappear into the foyer.

"Don't get what, Ryu?" Ken seemed to be glowing. Ryu felt rage building up in his stomach, and had to quickly suppress it. He couldn't let the Hadoken control him, right now, or ever. Ryu knew he had to be very careful about that.

"Why Eva is so thrill to see Chun Li," Ryu said.

"'Thrilled'," Ken corrected him, still smiling. Ryu felt his anger grow, along with another emotion that he felt he knew, but could not identify. That bothered him, but since he was still talking to Ryu, he ignored it.

"You know what I mean," he growled.

Ken's brow furrowed. "Hey, Ryu, I don't know what your problem is. It takes me a little off guard, too." He laughed lightly - snickered, Ryu thought. "Maybe Eva got wind of a little secret."

"Little secret?" Ryu asked, but Ken had already disappeared into the mansion.

For the remainder of the day, Ryu watched Eva parade Chun Li around the house, showing off Ken's expensive furniture, pool, training room, and everything else Eva thought worthy of showing off to Chun Li. Ken and Ryu were close in tow for most of the way. Ryu tried to talk to Ken about his training with Ali, but felt that Ken wasn't really paying attention to him. Ryu's mood was worsening, and he wanted to drag Ken away,  
upstairs, anywhere, but couldn't, as that would be rude to Chun Li.

"We have everything 'ere," Eva slurred, holding Chun Li's arm the whole way. She held a martini glass in her other hand. "You name it, we 'ave it. We are very continent, you know."

"Content?" Chun Li asked politely, and Eva laughed.

"Dat's what I said, sweetie!" she said. "Keep dose ears open. Very continent. And I just know that I will make Ken, the best, you know what." Eva said the last part in a ridiculously loud whisper, and laughed shrilly.

"What do you think she means?" Ryu asked of Ken. Ryu noticed that Devontay kept looking back at them, as though they might attack Eva at any moment.

They had arrived in the dining room, and while Eva and Chun Li took a quick look and moved on to the sunny back deck, Ken helped himself to a whisky. Ryu thought it was strange that Ken was drinking in the afternoon, but he chalked it up to Chun Li's visit. Ryu himself indulged in a large glass of wine. "By what?" Ken asked.

"Come on, Ken, you know what I mean," Ryu said. "Whatever she's talking about. She's clearly on to something.  
And Chun Li's in on it, too."

Ken laughed, and took a long drink of whisky. Ryu, in turn, took a long drink of wine, but felt that the drink was too long.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm going to ask her to get married," Ken said.

Ryu opened his mouth. He wasn't quite sure what to say. Was Ken serious? Could he seriously marry a flake like Eva? Or was this joke? No, it wasn't a joke, he decided. He was suddenly confused. Did Ken want to marry Eva to appease his family? It wouldn't shock him. Ken's parents, while nice individuals, would never understand the relationship he had with Ryu. They had once arranged, in a major international negotiation, to get Ryu released from prison in Thailand, where he had been held unjustly for smuggling drugs. But Ryu knew that, like any parents, they expected grandchildren, they expected a certain sort of relationship for their son. It was only logical. They had probably pressured Ken into proposing to Eva.

"It will happen this coming spring," Ken continued, before Ryu could say anything, and took another sip of his whisky. He had grown fond of whisky, Ryu thought.

Ryu tried to take a sip from his glass, and realized that he had finished the glass. Already? he thought. But Ken had poured himself another whisky, and a larger one this time. Ken was still beaming. Ryu felt torn. He was happy that Ken was in such a good place, was so positive, especially being in a rocky relationship with someone like Eva. But he also felt anger. It was flat anger, the kind of anger you feel when you see a mugger steal an old woman's purse, when you see someone kick a stray cat. The kind of anger, Ryu decided, that anyone would feel in his situation. Before he knew it, Ken was toasting him.

"Here's to a friendship that will never end!" Ken declared, and clinked their glasses. Ryu nodded uncertainly. Ken stood up. "Because nothing can come between buds."

Ken put his face directly under Ryu's, and nodded up, in a friendly gesture. Ryu could have done anything, then.  
He could have kissed Ken. But he didn't. He wrapped his bulging arm around Ken's, and, arms intertwined, they drank, to their friendship, Ryu supposed. His heart was sinking, and the power in his chest was thriving. He hoped it wasn't wasn't the power of the Hadoken.

The wine was gone again, and Ryu didn't feel right, but it didn't matter, Ken was pouring him another one. What time was it? For how long had they been together in the dining room? Did it matter? This time Ken was mixing soda with his whisky. Should he mix soda with wine? No, probably not. Suddenly the girls came back into the dining room, bursting in, like a couple of silly schoolgirls.

"Yes?" Ryu asked, rudely.

Eva shook her head. "Someone should teach you manners, Ryu. We are back for dinner."

"Dinner?" Ken checked the grandfather clock, perched on a ledge by the window. "Wow, it's five-thirty already.  
Where does the time go, Ryu!" And he laughed, but Ryu didn't find anything amusing about time passing quickly,  
he was just happy to have another glass of wine in his hand. As long as he had a glass, he could handle Ken's announcement.

They all sat down. Devontay left the room, but Ryu had a feeling that he would still be nearby. 'Well, be nearby,' Ryu thought, 'Fuck you.' Ken's butler brought in two mixed bread baskets, and a maid served onion soup.

"I showed Chun Li dee entire house," said Eva, who was sipping a fresh martini. Chun Li was drinking wine.

"I bet your favourite part was the fountain in the conservatory," Ryu offered to Chun Li. "It's so peaceful."

"Actually," Chun Li countered, in her nice voice, "My favourite part was the garden out back. It's beautiful.  
It reminds me of Hong Kong." She smiled.

Ryu nodded. "Ah." Chun Li was so very pretty, in her light purple dress suit. Had she changed? Ryu didn't think that she had been wearing that suit in the limousine.

"My favourite part," Eva slurred, "is Ken's bedroom. And if you have to take any guesses to why," she hiccuped,  
"Den you are a foo-ool."

At once, soup was over, and the party was served a salad. Someone filled up Ryu's wine glass. At once, Ryu noticed that Eva, Ken and Chun Li were all dressed up. Eva was wearing a scarlet red dress, and Ken a pink shirt and dark red tie. Only Ryu was dressed down. He still wore his blue jump suit. Why was he only noticing this now? Obviously they had dressed up for a reason. Why hadn't they let him in on it?

Ryu suddenly felt something that could quickly change into anger, if he chose. What was it? Should he go and change? He felt as though it were too late.

"My favourite part is the training room," Ryu announced.

Eva looked at him longly. "What an odd thing to say," she puffed. Ken laughed out loud. Chun Li stifled a giggle.

"What do you mean by that?" Ryu asked, wiping his mouth after his drink of wine. He could feel the fury build. Eva had no right to be rude to him.

"Nothing," Ken said, casting Ryu a look.

Eva took a sip of wine. "Just that," she slurred, "You aren't exactly made for class, are you, Ryu?"

Ken stood up before the conversation could continue. Somehow, his huge, muscled body looming over the table reassured Ryu. Ken stood erect above them, dominating. Ryu liked to see Ken in control.

"Let's be tame, guys," Ken said. Eva shot him an annoyed look. Ryu finished his salad. Chun Li took a sip of wine, and appeared affronted by the taste, but something told Ryu that that night wasn't the first time she had had alcohol.

"Okay," Ryu said, obediently. "Tonight's gonna be special, bud! There isn't any other reason to have us here."

Ken beamed. Chun Li nodded. Eva shook her head and took a bite of tomato from her salad.

A half hour later, they were served their appetizer, and a short time later, their dinner, rack of lamb. Ryu loved rack of lamb, and he felt ready to dig in, when Ken struck his fork against his wine glass. Ryu and Chun Li both looked up.

"I would like to make an announcement to,.. You guys," Ken said, with a smile on his face, looking at Eva.  
"There is a reason why I brought us together tonight, and why I want us all to be together. You guys mean the world to me."

Chun Li, smiling knowlingly, handed something to Eva, who nodded. Ryu heard a snap shut. He frowned and finished his glass of wine. He was hoping desperately the wine would improve his mood.

Ken proposed to Eva, as Ryu already knew he would. Chun Li clapped her hands in delight, and Ryu would have been irritated by her reaction, since she knew about the engagement even before he did, but his mood had improved somewhat. Rather, it felt as though his feelings had been taken, lifted directly out of his body. Was it the wine?  
He couldn't remember how many glasses he had had. Perhaps it was, and he was grateful. He felt absolutely emotionless. There was only a small feeling of pleasure, deep within him, in the pit of his stomach,  
beginning to emerge. He could feel the pleasure, and smiled. That feeling must be from the wine, he thought.

"Look at that!" Ken exclaimed. "We even made Ryu smile. There you go, buddy."

"Yes, we did," Ryu said. He hardly recognized his own voice, deep but hoarse, alien, but no one else seemed to notice. He raised his glass, but no one seemed to notice that, either.

After dinner, the party moved on to the balcony above the pool and hottub. They were served champagne, to toast Ken and Eva's engagement. Chun Li recounted a story about one of her classmates, who had recently become engaged, but whose parents disapproved of the engagement.

"The parents were old-school Chinese," Chun Li explained. "They expect Chinese grandchildren. They don't want half-Black grandchildren. It's so sad."

Ken and Eva nodded their understanding.

"Why are you nodding?" Ryu asked them. "You wouldn't know. Ken's parents love you, approve of you, Eva. They're the only reason you're getting married, in fact. I'm sure you know that."

"What?" asked Eva, who, even sober, might have been confused.

"Hey," Ken said. "Ryu, maybe you've had a little too much to drink. You know that what you're saying just isn't," he hiccoughed, "True. You hardly ever drink. You..."

"Ha," Ryu scoffed, still smiling. After all, why shouldn't he smile? He was Ken's guest. He had been invited here, he deserved to enjoy himself. "How would you know? You're never home, anymore. How would you know what I do? Or how much I drink?" Ryu laughed again, at Ken's stupidity.

Chun Li looked uneasy and concerned. Ryu loved her, but felt nothing for her now. Something had overtaken him. Unsteadily, Eva walked up to him. "Roo, if this is about what I said about the bottles in your room..."

"It's Ryu," Ryu reminded her. Somehow, though, he found that he really didn't care.

"What bottles?" Ken asked, surprised.

Eva looked like she might say something else, but then stopped, and walked toward the house.

Ryu moved sidways, toward the balcony. The elaborate pool deck was around a hundred feet down, which meant that any of them would survive a fall from the balcony, even Eva. He had once gazed into the sunset, from this very spot, thinking about his future here in California, with Ken. He had once dreamt of the days they would spend together. Now his look was cast down.

"Ryu?" prompted Chun Li, inquisitively.

Ryu realized that Ken and Chun Li had both been speaking to him, but he had stopped responding.

"He's shocked!" Eva shrieked, abruptly. "He was always in love with me." She staggered forward, and grabbed Ryu by his enormous shoulder, flinging herself into his arms. "I knew it all along. Now 'ee is 'art-broken about my engagement." She kissed him, and Ryu could taste the liquor and champagne on her breath.

Somehow, Ryu had ended up with Eva in his huge arms. Ryu, the chosen one, the empowered one. Anyone just had to look at him to know, he thought. He was the empowered one. He could do anything with Eva. He could have dropped her on the floor, thrown her over the balcony, thrust her through the French door through which they had come out from the upstairs hall. He was all-powerful, now, he was in charge. He felt a clean hatred for them all. Ryu put Eva down, easily. Chun Li let out a long breath, for some reason. "No, I love Ken."

Eva had snatched up her martini from the stone rail. "Ken!" she exclaimed, after a long sip, and began to choke.

"You're my best bud," Ken said, and nodded. "I love you too."

Ken was drunk, Ryu knew. And anyway, whether it was because of his parents, or because Eva had seduced him, he was not in love with Ryu, now. He had moved past Ryu. Ken had moved past Ryu, Ryu thought, as a race car driver overtakes an opponent on a race track. Ryu could never catch Ken now, and he knew that. He had always thought that might happen, once he gained the power of the Hadoken before Ken. Ken had always been sorely jealous of Ryu for executing the power of the Hadoken before he did.

Ryu nodded. "I'd better go," he said. Chun Li let out a surprised, "Oh!", as Ryu began to walk back into the French doors.

Ryu suddenly turned and scampered back toward Ken. When Chun Li would interview with police later, she would tell them that he was fast, swift, like a panther. Jumping upon Ken, Ryu bit into his neck, tearing out a hunk of flesh. Ken, alarmed, stepped back, trying to push Ryu off with a strong shove upward.

"I love you, Ken," Ryu told Ken, calmly, even as he was swallowing Ken's blood. He could feel Chun Li's firey kicks attacking him from behind. They were weak, however, probably because of her surprise.

"They will never understand. I will love you forever." Ryu realized that though his facial expression had remained frozen. Through the blood, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Get off me!" Ken roared. Blood was pouring down his neck. "Ryu, get the fuck off me! I can't..." Ken trailed off.

"His eyes are all red!" Eva exclaimed, meaning Ryu's. She had taken out her cell phone.

Ryu lifted Ken over his shoulder and threw him into Chun Li's kicks. One of them propelled Ken backward, forcefully, over the balcony ledge.

Ryu wished Ali were there, because Ali had been there for him for all those months. Ali would know what to do now.  
Ryu was driven, and felt that, after all his years as a street fighter, still required guidance, still had a journey to face. He could not face it alone, and that journey was now impossible, now that Ken would die.

Ryu knew that Ken's fall, even with his wounds from Ryu and Chun Li, wouldn't kill him. Ryu jumped into the air.

"I will always love you, Ken!" Ryu cried, meaning it, and Ryu sent a powerful Hadoken into Ken's chest. Ken's expression turned from betrayal to anguish, as he hurtled toward the ground. Too weak to Hadoken again, Ken struggled to fire a punch at Ryu, but failed. Ryu, meanwhile, flipped his body so that his head would land first when he landed on the white, intricate bricks of Ken's patio. That, he thought, should kill him too, and then, at least, he and Ken would be together, forever.


End file.
